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POWERS’ COMMERCIAL FIRE-PROOF BUILDINGS, ROCHESTER, N. Y. 
THE HAYS THAT ARE NO MORE. 
POWERS’ BUILDINGS, ROCHESTER 
The Architectural prhle of Rochester, 
and justly so, is Powers’ Commercial Fire- 
Proof Buildings, a fine view of which we 
present herewith. This block is one of the 
finest and most complete on the Continent— 
and its enterprising and public-spirited pro- 
jeeter and owner, D. W. Powers, (the Gi¬ 
rard of Rochester,) is entitled to the ihnnks 
and lasting honor of his fellow citizens for 
the credit and substantial benefit he lias con¬ 
ferred upon them and the city by erecting 
this beautiful, convenient, durable and ex¬ 
tensive emporium. Readers of the Rural 
New-Yorker will remember that we long 
ago styled Rochester the “ Metropolis of the 
Eden of America;” and now Mr. Powers 
has furnished a structure, in the business 
center of the city, which presents a truly 
metropolitan appearance—one that, in ex¬ 
tent, beauty of proportion, completeness and 
elegance of finish, vies with the best edifices 
of the kind to bo found in our chief cities. 
The block is not only a credit to its pro¬ 
prietor and the city, but it pays—the invest¬ 
ment, though large, proving very remunera¬ 
tive to Mr. Powers, while the owners of 
adjacent property, and the city generally, 
must he materially benefited. In fact, such 
a grand structure benefits the surrounding 
country also—if not the whole of Western 
New York — and did we not kuow Mr. 
Powers to be altogether too shrewd to ac¬ 
cept the " ruination,” we fear the people 
would send him to Congress, or make him 
Mayor or Governor! But fortunately his 
head is too “ level" lo stand such nonsense. 
The following description is condensed 
from a Directory of Powers’ Buildings, re- 
cenlly published in beautiful style (the ty¬ 
pography, letter press, etc., being faultless,) 
l>y Daniels, Peck & Cushman. Thousands 
of our readers in Western New York will be 
interested in the facts and figures given, 
while other and more distant thousands will 
learn, from the description and accompany¬ 
ing engraving, that Rochester is manifesting 
the Imespirit of Progress and Improvement: 
This block has a frontage of 176 feet on 
Stale street and 175 feet on Buffalo street, 
and has 150 feet on Pindell alley. The main 
center, or corner building is faced with Ohio 
free or sand stone, elaborately carved—the 
blocks being alternately vermiculated and 
cut in panel—and is seven stories in bight 
exclusive of the basement, which is of New 
Hampshire granite. The top of this portion 
of the edifice is finished with a French roof, 
twenly-fivc feet in bight and built wholly of 
iron and slate, which raises it one story above 
the wings, whose facades or fronts are of cast 
iron. The building is quadrangular in form 
and is the only perfectly tubular block in 
the United Slates. It has light on all sides, 
with an open area in the center for the pur¬ 
pose of lighting all the halls and rooms above 
the ground floor. The ground floor contains 
one hank and fifteen stores (besides two 
offices partly underground), which cover the 
entire lot and which vary from thirteen to 
thirty feet in width and from fifty to 150 feet 
in length, all being fourteen feet six inches 
in bight, wilh finely finished basements that 
are eleven feet six inches high and well 
lighted by knobs in the pavement. The 
upper 6t.orifi8 contain 100 rooms, which arc 
used for almost every conceivable kind of 
business and occupation. The halls on 
all the stories above the ground are cir¬ 
cuitous and vory spacious—most of them 
being eleven feet wide—the floors of which 
arc covered with square marble tiles and 
finished with marble surbase, while each 
Dali is lighted by eight pendants. 
There are three broad enlranccs, and one 
narrower one, from the street to the second 
story—two on each street or front—the 
stairs of which are entirely of Italian marble. 
Of the three staircases leading from the 
second to the upper stories, two are wholly 
of iron, with silver bronze railings and 
balustrades, having a half lauding or plat¬ 
form in iho center of each story. The 
grand, or principal, staircase contains fifty 
tons of iron and cost $30,000. All of the 
floors of the entire block are built of rolled 
iron, wilh brick arches; all of the partitions 
throughout are of brick, and the window* 
frames and casings are made principally of 
iron. The building is thus rendered proof 
against lire, while the standing of the walls 
upon the solid rock makes it equally secure 
against all danger by flood. Among the 
minor details of interest are these: All the 
stores and offices throughout the building 
are supplied with radiators heated by steam 
h“m ten boilers in the basement, and are 
furnished wilh marble wash-stands supplied 
u Avalcr-pipeg; the closet conveniences arc 
numerous and perfect; the glass in both 
u ades is the best English polished plate and 
cost upward of $30,000; the French roof 
T n « cost more than $30,000, and the dormer 
windows in it $1,000 each ; while $6,500 was 
l>-ui for the side-walk, on Avhicli stand five 
ctegant candelabra that cost $300 each. 
This building contains 35,000 square feet 
of Italian and Vermont marble, 6.000,000 
pounds (or 3,000 tons) of iron, 6,000,000 of 
brick, and over 60,000 yards of plastering, 
Avhile 10,000 cart-loads of sand were drawn 
lo make the mortar. The floors are all 
estimated ns to strength and will carry a safe 
load of 150 pounds to the square foot, be¬ 
sides the weight of their own material, so 
that each and every floor can he filled with 
human beings, as cdose as they cun possibly 
stand, without any danger, while, allowing 
two superficial feet (288 square inches) to 
each person, every floor would contain over 
12,000 people, and the entire building (allow¬ 
ing the partitions—which do not support the 
floors at all—to be taken out, and not count¬ 
ing either the basement or I he large hall in 
the French roof) would hold more limn 
60,000 persons. In other words, the whole 
population of the city of Rochester—men, 
women and children—could be assembled 
on these eight acres of flooring at any one 
lime to pay a visil to the architect of the 
great edifice, Andrew J. Warner. 
The Elevator— the first, we believe, 
ever constructed in Rochester—is very com¬ 
plete in all respects. The shaft of the verti¬ 
cal railway is a brick tower rising from the 
bed of rock to the cupola on the roof, which 
incloses the suspensory machinery and a 
part of the apparatus for securing safety in 
the passage of the car. The vertical guide 
posts, 130 feet high, of solid iron, and the 
safely ratchets, which are bolted on to them, 
also rest on the solid rock. The motive 
power is supplied by an engine in the base 
meat. Absolute safety is secured against 
accident. The car itself is the finest in 
the United Slates, and, probably, in the 
world. It is seven and a-half by eight feet 
on the floor and eleven feet high ; is domed 
with cut-glass sky-lights and ventilators, is 
richly carpeted, is supplied with gns by a 
flexible tube which it carries, and is furn¬ 
ished with sofas on three sides and two large 
mirrors facing each other, in which the re¬ 
peated reflection of the gas-light produces 
the appearance of a long train of palace cars. 
The sides and the dome are furnished 
throughout with panels, pilasters, brackets, 
cornices, moldings and carvings, all of high¬ 
ly polished American woods, whose varie¬ 
gation embraces all the colors necessary to 
secure an admirable effect. The entire verti¬ 
cal railway, embracing the car and the ap¬ 
paratus, cost upward of $20,000. 
, Finally, the erection of this enduring 
1 structure—which, from the number of its 
tenants (nearly 1,000) and the variety of 
businesses carried on therein, may he called 
a miniature city of itself—forever centralizes 
this location in the city of Rochester, or at 
least for a century to come. It is a curious 
fact that one could live in the block and not 
lie obliged to go out of it for anything. 
Another feature of its construction is that 
the money valuation of the blocks adjacent, 
and especially of those on the opposite cor¬ 
ners, is actually increased, at least 30 per 
cent. No block in any city ever produced 
greater pecuniary good than Rochester will 
derive from Powers’ Commercial Fire-Proof 
Buildings. 
tmitrcmal. 
SCHOOLS ANT) TEACHERS. 
At the present juncture, when so many 
schools are opening, the following remarks 
from the Fireside Visitor are timely and 
suggestive: 
“ ,School begins next Monday, Nan I” 
shouted little Harry, as lie entered the 
family sitting-room, a few days go. Hurra! 
“ Goody I goody I ’ responded Nan, “ lm So 
glad.” And so say the millions of happy 
“Young Americans” who before this paper 
is printed are settled down lo another year’s 
hard work. Teachers are returning to their 
work refreshed and reinvigorated. The 
girls, full of life, fun and mischief, their 
ruddy cheeks have borrowed the wild flow¬ 
ers’ tints, and the boys, browned by toil or 
exposure, so full of “ teter ” that it will be 
some days before they can settle down to 
hard study. Happy childhood—may you 
long remain children, at least in feeling and 
innocence. 
What a responsible yet joyous employ¬ 
ment is that of a teacher. Next in import¬ 
ance and responsibility to him who is com¬ 
missioned to hear the messages of peace and 
good will to men, stands the teacher. While 
to one is committed the spiritual interests of 
his youthful charge, to the other is given 
the scarcely less important tusk of opening, 
leading and molding the mental and moral 
natures of the immortal beings entrusted to 
his cure. And very often it, is made the duty 
of the toucher to supply the lack of parental 
training, and to supplement the lessons that 
should lie learned from the sacred desk. All 
honor, then, to the schoolmasters and school- 
marms of America, and prosperity to our 
free schools. # 
- 
DUTY OP PARENTS TO TEACHERS. 
To secure results in carrying on reforms 
and improvements in society, co-operation is 
essential to success. The humblest can effect 
in concert., what the highest could not singly. 
In the education of youth, parents and guar¬ 
dians can greatly facilitate the arduous la¬ 
bors of teachers. Good government in 
schools is more the result of careful training 
at home than of any efforts of the teacher. 
Children who behave well at home willgen- 
erally deport themselves well abroad. Chil¬ 
dren should be taught at home respect for 
their teachers. They should bo instructed 
Hint it is their duty to lie orderly, well-be¬ 
haved and prompt to obey what they are 
commanded to perform. If this be under¬ 
stood, the task of the teacher becomes mate¬ 
rially lightened. If the pupil be taught that 
the rules of school must he implicitly com¬ 
plied with, and if the parents insist upon it 
that the child shall obey all reasonable de¬ 
mands made upon him by the teacher, then 
the pupil will be properly trained, and will 
be fitted to receive instruction. Parents arc 
too apt lo encourage their children in tale- 
hearing and criticism on I he conduct and 
ability of their instructors. They are apt to 
take the views of their children rather than 
their own. 
--—- 
JEFFERSON’S TEN RULES. 
Jefferson’s ton rules are good yet, es¬ 
pecially so for those who have the training 
of the pupils in our public schools. They 
are so short and concise, and embody so much 
of value, that it would he well if they were 
clipped and put Avhere Ave could sec them 
often. They read as follows: 
1. Never put off till to-morrow what you 
can do to-day. 
2. Never I rouble another for Avhat you can 
do yourself. 
3. Never spend your money before you 
have it. 
4. Never buy what you do not want be¬ 
cause it is cheap. 
5. Pride costs more than hunger, thirst 
and cold. 
6. We seldom repent of having eaten too 
little. 
7. Nothing is troublesome that wc do 
willingly. 
8. How much pain the evils have cost us 
llmt have never happened. 
9. Take things always by the smooth 
handle. 
10. When angry, count ten before you 
speak ; if very angry, count a hundred. 
-- 
SELF -TAUG HT. 
Many men arc said to be self-taught. No 
man Avas ever taught in any other Avay. 
Do you suppose a man to be a bucket to be 
hung on the well of knowledge and pumped 
full? Man is a creature that learns by the 
exertion of Ids own JuoilUies, There are 
aids to learning of various kinds; but. no 
matter hOAV many of these aids a man may 
he surrounded by, after all, the learning is 
Hint which he acquires himself. And 
Avhether he is in college or out of college, in 
school or out of school, every man must 
educate himself. And in our times and in 
our community every man has the means of 
doing it. 
--—- 
The Press tiie First Estate.— One 
man in a hundred reads a book ; ninety-nine 
in a hundred read a newspaper. Nearly a 
century ago, when the American press, 
which is now a spreading oak, was in its 
green twig, Thomas Jefferson said he would 
rather live in a country with newspapers and 
without a government than in a country 
with a government hut without newspapers. 
Tho press instead of being the fourth, Is the 
first estate of the realm. 
- ■ ■ ♦»»-- 
There are two hundred and eighty-seven 
incorporated Colleges in the United States. 
BY ALKItKI) TRNNYSON. 
[This most beautiful sona, alven to the world in 
his “ Prince**," by the worthy .root-Laureate over 
tho sea, will be recotrnUod.nt this season of tho year, 
by many a surcharged retrospective heart ns u word- 
ocho.well nigh perfect,.if h* own wild throbblns.-F.] 
Tears, idle tears, l know not what they mean. 
Tears from the depth <>f some divine despair 
Rise to the heart, and gather in tiro eyes, 
In looking on tho happr Autumn Welds. 
And thinking of the darn thut are no more. 
Fresh ns tho llrst beam glittering on a sail. 
That brings our friotulN up from Iho underworld. 
Sad us the Inst, whtnb reddens over one 
That sinks with all we love below the verge; 
So sad, so fresh, the days thut are no mure. 
Ah, sad and strange us in dark summer dawns 
Tho curliest pipe of hnlf-uwaken’d birds 
To dying ears, whon unto dying eyes 
The casement slowly grows u glimmering square ; 
So sad, so strange, tho days that aro no moro. 
Dear as remember'd kisses after death. 
And sweet as those by hopeless fancy feign’d 
On lips that are for others; deep ns love, 
Deep as first, love, and wild with all regret r 
O Death In Life, tho days that are no more. 
“SENT FREE;” 
Or, How Elsie Grant Hade Her Fortnne. 
BY MAY MAPLE. 
— 
I threw down the newspaper with a sigh, 
and resumed my stitching. I had always a 
presentiment that in some way a paper was 
to bring mo a fortune. 1 never allowed a 
single scrap to pass without a close observa¬ 
tion, always hoping that the last one picked 
up would be the one; banco tho sigh when 1 
threw this one down. Thoro were immense 
windfalls for other people, hut never the 
slightest one for me. Still I would not give 
up in despair. Lottery tickets were not all 
blanks; my turn at the wheel might come 
yet, and my fortune be the better for being 
obliged to wait so long. 
“ Why don’t you write something for the 
papers?” said Mrs. H., for whom I was sew¬ 
ing—and who, by the way, knew nothing of 
my foolish presentiment. 
“i write tor a paper! — what an idea. 
Why it takes a peculiar gift to write that 
which people will read with anything like 
interest, and I have never been entrusted 
with so precious ft talent,” was my reply. 
“ I am quite sure you have the gilt you 
rightly call precious; possibly not so fully 
developed as it is with some, but neverthe¬ 
less it should not, he hidden in a napkin. 
All it wants is cultivation to make it spring 
up and bear fruit.” 
“ But if I could be convinced that I Avas a 
genius; I have no time for cultivation, so it’s 
not of the least use to me.” 
“ Then let me advise you lo take time.” 
And here the conversation ended. But 
thoughts were busy; a new vein for consid¬ 
eration was opened. Why, if I bad any gift 
in that direction, had 1 not found it out 
“ long time ago?”—why had it been left for 
Mrs. II. to discover it, to me? To be sure 
the Professor at L. seminary bad given me 
credit for writing some very good essays,— 
but as I was something of a favorite at school, 
I only allowed that to be very pleasant flat¬ 
tery. Tho needle flashed in and out with 
such celerity to keep pacowith my thoughts 
and castle building, that when the sun Avont 
below the old West Hill, I was completely 
exhausted. 
Mrs. II. looked up with a smile that al¬ 
ways made her face radiant, and said— 
“You need not work yourself to death to 
create lime; it will come to you when you 
have collected all your forces and arc ready 
for battle. And you must not be discour¬ 
aged if you do not succeed immediately; 
you will no doubt meet with rebuffs many 
times; possibly you may never become 
famous; but you can do good, not only to 
yourself but to many a eorroAving, despond¬ 
ent one. Use your gift, whether it be groat 
or small, towards making the world better, 
and you will Avin a reward worthy of your 
highest aspirations.” 
Tavo years after my first article was sent 
to the publisher’s office. Of course there 
were days and weeks of anxious waiting on 
my part. One afternoon I was visiting at 
the house of a friend, whon tho mail was 
brought in. A gentleman who was present 
was requested to read aloud in tho last paper 
for the benefit of those present. The very 
first article that attracted his attention 
chanced to he my first effort. My heart 
gave a bound and then seemed to stand still; 
and I was obliged to leave the room to avoid 
observation. I knew Mr. L. considered him¬ 
self to be a very superior personage, and I 
dreaded his criticisms, which were frequent¬ 
ly severe. He Avas really a fine reader, so 
my little effusion lost nothing by his read¬ 
ing. And it av as very gratifying to me to 
hear it spoken of in high terms of praise by 
one who was far from being my friend; 
much sooner would he have bitten his 
tongue had he known the author. Then it 
was amusing to hear the wonderings of who 
the writer could be, for it Avas very evident JT. 
